What happens when a character dies in your campaign?

[Kahuna Burger]

Pretty easy for me; I keep all players at the same level.

glad I'm not the only one - I voted average party level, but I keep my parties all at the same level, so its all good. I don't like playing in campaigns with unballanced parties, so I don't run them.

Though my favorite is actually "reincarnated by wandering druid and forced to live without thumbs but with significant advantages until they can find a way to get their orriginal form back." (the 3.5 version of reincarnate is the one change I will never incorporate. no thumbs is the only way to go....)

Kahuna Burger

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

In my real campaigns I actually play? They die and they make a new guy at "a level I deem appropriate".

In my homebrew I'm developing still, he dies and goes to the underworld and the other PCs have to undertake a mythic quest and go to the underworld to get him back. Death's a greedy kinda guy, so resurrection's a no-no.

 

[Trickstergod]

Simple; I keep the characters all at the same level, anyway. New characters start at whatever level the other characters are at. Unless a PC suffers a level drain or the like, or uses XP for spells and the sort, then they're all at the same level.

I want my PC's to take risks and for the game to keep moving forward. I'm also not a fan of miracles for monetary transactions (i.e, resurrection). Keeping PC levels the same, even with a death, encourages the first two and helps make up for the third one.

 

[doghead]

In my games, it depends on the situation the party finds itself in, and the options in terms of introducing a new character. I've introduced more experienced charcters, and weaker ones.

I don't really have a rule.

 

[Sejs]

One level below that of the dead character. The other PCs are free to do with the corpse and its possessions as they see fit.

Then again, there is no Raise Dead, Ressurection or Reincarnation in my game - only True Ressurection and the druid equivalent, True Reincarnation. Oh, and Clone, but you have to have made the clone before the death occured otherwise the resulting body that's grown doesn't have any draw on the deceased's soul. But you could animate it or, or make a flesh golem out of it or whatever, I suppose.

 

[Gronin]

In my campaign its "the TWO R's" - raise 'em or replace 'em.

Replacements start at 1st level and they either learn fast or we're back to the TWO R's.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

One level below the lowest level character in the group...well, that's if its a good death.

If the PC dies because of some stupid mistake, well, we don't use guns. They drink some mixture of ink and glass and jump off a bridge screaming an apology right up until the satisfying splat...then we find a new player. Only gone through...17? Or is it 18? Something like that. The veteran players have really learned to be careful.

 

[jester47]

New characters should start at 1st level. Why isn't that an option???

Yeah, I voted other because this is what I do. No matter what the level, you go back to start (ussually thats 1st) but if we started say at 15th, you go back to 15th. NPC takeover is also an option.

Aaron.

 

[jester47]

Average character level in the party. That way I don't have to "dumb" down the encounters in order to give the new PC a fighting chance to survive.

Dumb down the encounters? What are you talking about?

If the group started at 1st you go back to 1st. I am not responsible for the trouble the players get their characters into. We play FR, and if you think 5th level is a high enough level to take on the Morume Brood, heck go for it! (you will probably die, but who knows...) I LOVE status quo adventureing.

Aaron.

 

[JPL]

Usually, as DM, I tell the player that he has now forfeited his soul, which I will give to my dark lord Orcus.

Generally the player freaks out and kills himself, although on one occassion a guy stabbed a cop because he thought he was an orc.

Good times.